HGP Nightly News – In a passionate appeal for justice system reform, APNU Member of Parliament Dr. Dexter Todd during his budget presentation invoked the case of Adrianna Young, using it as a symbol of the urgent need for legislative and forensic modernization absent from the 2026 fiscal plan.
“I bring to your attention the matter of Adrianna Young,” Dr. Todd stated, holding a photograph aloft in the chamber. “We call for justice. We call for reforming of the laws. This is what we bring.”
His presentation argued that while the budget allocates billions for physical infrastructure, it fails to invest in the foundational systems required for public safety and judicial integrity. Central to his critique was Guyana’s outdated Coroners Act, which he described as a relic from the 1800s.
“The United Kingdom has moved past. They have moved to amendments way up to 2024. The entire Commonwealth Caribbean have moved past… but Guyana stands still,” Dr. Todd asserted.
He directly linked this legislative stagnation to a fatal lack of investigative capacity, citing the recent deaths of four crew members on a cargo vessel from suspected toxic fume exposure. “It shows that Guyana lacks the expertise forensically to investigate and to do these matters,” he said. “Budget is silent on it. It makes no provision for that.”
Dr. Todd expanded his call to include the independence of the judiciary, echoing the acting Chief Justice’s demand for financial and operational autonomy. “It is time the government takes its feet off of the neck of the judiciary,” he stated, warning that without this separation, the integrity of judicial rulings is at risk.
Dr. Todd framed true national development as inseparable from a functional, modern, and impartial justice system. His presentation positioned the budget’s silence on these issues not as an oversight, but as a failure to prioritize the safety, rights, and confidence of all Guyanese citizens.
